Greetings my Fellow Elks Members: Greetings my Fellow Elks, We have hit the ground running in April. Lodge attendance in the month of April has been outstanding. We have members coming back to the Lodge and it is a wonderful sight. It looks like we are back in full swing and I am loving it. I am so grateful to see everyone enjoying our Elk family and Lodge again. My priority this year is to get the membership back over 500. Currently we are at 323 members. The dues are coming in at a record pace from last year. I feel confident that we can do this in the Lodge. We are getting a lot of applications for new members and reinstatements. The word is getting out about the great work our Lodge is doing. When you are talking to your friends, invite them to join your Lodge. Bring them out one night and show off your Lodge. We have 323 members. If each member would bring in 1 applicant, we would have over 500 members. I am challenging you to help grow our lodge. Who will you invite to join? We have several events coming up in the community. I would like for the Walterboro Elks Lodge to be involved with these events. However, we will need volunteers and support to make this happen. The Rice Festival is one event that we can become involved in. How can you help us get involved in the community? I want to say a big thank you for the Officers’ Ball. This was a wonderful event for the Lodge. People came out in their fancy dress clothes. They enjoyed a fantastic meal. The band, funded by the awesome House Committee’s fundraising efforts, played excellent dance music that had many couples shaking a leg on the dance floor. We even had the 11th Hour Toast to end the event. I want to thank the Auxiliary for presenting me with my red jacket. This was an honor, and I will wear it proudly. I want to thank everyone who worked so hard to make this night happen: from the decorating committee, kitchen staff, bartenders, ground crew, maintenance crew, the band and many other members that just lent a helping hand. I will say that I had tears of joy going home that night. Thank you for the support that you have given me. I intend to work just as hard this year for you and the Lodge. Again, Thank You and God Bless Angus Patterson